The Next Bit Podcast

Hannah McQueen
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Ageing isn’t overwhelming. It’s just the next bit. Real NZ stories, expert advice and practical tools to help you — and the people you love — stay confident, independent and informed as you age. Hosted by Hannah McQueen, with new episodes every week, The Next Bit is a podcast designed to help New Zealanders learn how to age well and support their whānau with clarity. Whether you’re planning your own next chapter, supporting ageing parents, or simply wanting to stay independent for as long as possible, you’re in the right place. https://www.thenextbitpod.com

  1. 22h ago

    Enduring Power of Attorney: The Document Everyone Delays (And What It Costs You)

    Most people treat their enduring power of attorney as an afterthought to their will — if they think about it at all. Brendan Reidy, branch manager at Perpetual Guardian, has spent his career sitting across the table from families who didn't. In this episode, Brendan breaks down the two types of EPA — property, and personal care and welfare — and why so many people agree to act as someone's attorney without understanding what they're actually signing up for. We get into what happens when there's no EPA in place (think family court, six-month waits, and legal bills running into the thousands), the real liability an attorney carries if a sibling later challenges their decisions, and a case that shows how badly things can go when the role is left to chance: an elderly woman kept out of the care she needed, $50,000 unaccounted for, and a family blindsided by what they didn't know to ask. We also talk about the parts nobody warns you about — the unpaid, unglamorous hours of managing someone else's whole financial life, why attorneys can be personally challenged by an estate years later, and how a well-drafted document can protect both the person acting and the person they're acting for. If you've ever agreed to be someone's attorney without quite knowing what that meant, or you're the parent who hasn't gotten around to setting it up yet, this one's for you. The Next Bit Host is: Hannah McQueen - Founder of Brightly Guest: Brendan Reidy, Branch Manage at Perpetual Guardian Join our community! We love to hear your feedback and questions. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenextbitpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584248556816 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thenextbitpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNextBitPodcast Credits Director, Executive Producer & Editor: Arama Murray from Mention Direction Podcast Creator, Executive Producer & Host: Hannah McQueen Research & Production: Shelley Smith Additional Support: Billy McQueen

    Enduring Power of Attorney: The Document Everyone Delays (And What It Costs You)

  2. Sep 8

    Sunset Exits: The Truth About Ageism at Work (with Lisa Oakley)

    If your role disappeared tomorrow, would it really be a redundancy, or something else wearing a redundancy costume? Lisa Oakley is an HR and employment relations specialist who gets called in when things get curly: restructures, disciplinary processes, collective bargaining, exits. She calls these conversations sunset exits, and by her own account, she runs a handful of them every week, often with people who've given 20 or 30 years to the same organisation. In this episode, Lisa gets refreshingly direct about what's really happening when someone hears "not a cultural fit," "stopped being agile," or "we want fresh energy." Her argument isn't that ageism doesn't exist. It's that it almost never announces itself. We talk about: + Why relevance and experience aren't the same thing, and why that distinction matters more every year + Lisa's concept of RQ (relevance quotient), and the six pillars of her "relevance blueprint": learning, network, confidence, brand, exit planning and resilience + The My Kitchen Rules analogy that reframes how promotions and restructures actually get decided + "Change the people, or change the people": the phrase change managers use when adaptation isn't optional + Why a plan B (or C, or D) matters more in a job market that no longer guarantees a role for life + How to interpret AI-driven change as opportunity rather than threat, and what that mindset shift actually looks like in practice This one is direct, a little bit brutal, and genuinely useful if you're in your 50s, 60s or beyond and wondering how secure your role really is. This conversation is also why we built Age Brightly. Our whole-of-person baseline assessment looks at the factors that keep you cognitively strong and resilient for longer, so you're protecting more than just your career. The Next Bit Host is: Hannah McQueen - Founder of Brightly Guest: Lisa Oakley, Director of People Associates Join our community! We love to hear your feedback and questions. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenextbitpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584248556816 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thenextbitpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNextBitPodcast Credits Director, Executive Producer & Editor: Arama Murray from Mention Direction Podcast Creator, Executive Producer & Host: Hannah McQueen Research & Production: Shelley Smith Additional Support: Billy McQueen

  3. Sep 1

    Die Without One, Lose Control of Everything

    Most people assume their will just carries on no matter what happens in life. It doesn't. Getting remarried cancels it outright. And if you die before making a new one, the law decides who gets what, not you. In this episode, Brendan Reidy, branch manager at Perpetual Guardian, takes us inside the estate planning conversations he has every day: sometimes calm, sometimes in the middle of a dispute that's already gone too far. We cover: • Why marriage revokes a will but divorce doesn't • What actually happens when someone dies intestate (without a will), and how long it can take to sort out • The real story of two brothers — a surgeon and an electrician — and the family conversation that headed off a painful surprise • Why the costliest fights in estates are so often about sentimental items, not money • How to challenge a will if you've been left out, and how long you have to do it • What testamentary capacity means, and why it matters for elderly parents making or changing a will If you've been putting off sorting your own will, or your parents', this conversation is the nudge to finally have that talk. If this episode has you thinking about a parent's decision-making and whether it's as sharp as it used to be, Brightly's Baseline+ assessment gives your family a clear, evidence-based picture of cognitive health, so the hard conversations happen with facts, not guesswork. Learn more at agebrightly.co.nz. The Next Bit Host is: Hannah McQueen - Founder of Brightly Guest: Brendan Reidy, Branch Manager at Perpetual Guardian Join our community! We love to hear your feedback and questions. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenextbitpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584248556816 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thenextbitpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNextBitPodcast Credits Director, Executive Producer & Editor: Arama Murray from Mention Direction Podcast Creator, Executive Producer & Host: Hannah McQueen Research & Production: Shelley Smith Additional Support: Billy McQueen

    Die Without One, Lose Control of Everything

  4. Aug 25

    Sex After 60, Part Two: What We Didn't Say the First Time

    Our first episode on sex after 60 clearly struck a nerve, so Auckland sex therapist Edit Horvath is back for round two, and this time nothing is off the table. We talk about how to start a conversation about intimacy after years of silence, what happens when caregiving for a partner leaves no room for romance, and why later-life affairs, whether with a colleague, a sex worker, or a chatbot, are becoming more common than you'd think. Edith also unpacks why so many later-life divorces are being led by women, why some long-term couples choose to stay in separate homes, and a genuinely surprising fact about female anatomy that most doctors weren't even taught until 1998. It's honest, it's practical, and yes, it gets frank. Fair warning. Let's get into it. The Next Bit Host is: Hannah McQueen - Founder of Brightly Guest: Edit Horvath, Sex Therapist Join our community! We love to hear your feedback and questions. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenextbitpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584248556816 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thenextbitpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNextBitPodcast Credits Director, Executive Producer & Editor: Arama Murray from Mention Direction Podcast Creator, Executive Producer & Host: Hannah McQueen Research & Production: Shelley Smith Additional Support: Billy McQueen

    Sex After 60, Part Two: What We Didn't Say the First Time

  5. Aug 18

    "They're Always Right": Lessons on Dementia Care From a Daughter Who's Lived It

    One in four New Zealanders knows someone living with dementia. Which means the chances are, you do too. Lesley Harris didn't set out to become a dementia advocate. She became one the hard way, watching her father slowly stop knowing who she was, where he was, and slip back into his own childhood. That experience led her to study for a Diploma in Dementia Care, and eventually to build The Harris List, a navigation website she wishes had existed when her own family needed one. In this episode, Lesley shares the golden rule for talking to someone with dementia (they're always right), the real story behind a hospital "police" hallucination and what it taught her about de-escalation, why a man's nightly cutlery-throwing turned out to be about something else entirely, and why she believes your 50s might be the real turning point most of us miss. She's honest about the gaps in New Zealand's funding and care system, the danger of leaving enduring power of attorney too late, and her unfiltered take on the new blood tests that claim to predict Alzheimer's. It's a personal conversation, and an eye-opening one. If this episode gives you something to think about, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs to hear it — every share helps another family walk into this a little more prepared. The Next Bit Host is: Hannah McQueen - Founder of Brightly Guest: Lesley Harris, Founder of The Harris List Join our community! We love to hear your feedback and questions. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenextbitpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584248556816 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thenextbitpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNextBitPodcast Credits Director, Executive Producer & Editor: Arama Murray from Mention Direction Podcast Creator, Executive Producer & Host: Hannah McQueen Research & Production: Shelley Smith Additional Support: Billy McQueen

    "They're Always Right": Lessons on Dementia Care From a Daughter Who's Lived It

  6. Aug 11

    Who Pays When the Money Runs Out? The Hidden Cost of Aged Care

    Imagine this: Mum has a fall and is admitted to hospital with a fracture. The doctors tell you she's no longer able to return home and now needs residential care. A fancy word for "Rest home". You are now faced with another challenge—finding a rest home bed. We all know beds can be hard to come by. But let's say you find one, and you are happy with it. Then come the questions almost every family asks: How are we going to pay for it? When do we have to start paying? And what happens if we can't afford it? The reality is that while most of us plan for retirement, very few of us plan for longevity—for what happens if our savings need to fund years of residential care. Understanding the system, isn't easy either. It spans multiple government agencies, relies on decades-old legislation and case law, and is complicated enough that even lawyers can get it wrong. That's why I'm delighted to be joined by Theresa Donnelly, Head of Legal at Perpetual Guardian and one of the few people in New Zealand who truly understands how it all works. Today she'll explain how the Residential Care Subsidy works, when fees start and who pays them, why trusts can sometimes work against you, what happens while you're waiting for subsidy approval, and the difficult financial decisions many families are forced to make when the money starts to run out. Let's get into it. The Next Bit Host is: Hannah McQueen - Founder of Brightly Guest: Theresa Donnelly, Head of Legal at Perpetual Guardian Join our community! We love to hear your feedback and questions. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenextbitpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584248556816 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thenextbitpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNextBitPodcast Credits Director, Executive Producer & Editor: Arama Murray from Mention Direction Podcast Creator, Executive Producer & Host: Hannah McQueen Research & Production: Shelley Smith Additional Support: Billy McQueen

    Who Pays When the Money Runs Out? The Hidden Cost of Aged Care

  7. Aug 4

    "She Sold Her Wedding Ring For a Man Who Doesn't Exist" — Inside a Romance Scam Nobody Could Stop

    She's 78. Smart, social, independent — and for six months, she's been in an "engagement" with a Hollywood actor she's never spoken to, never seen on a video call, and never met. He needs money for jet fuel. For a management fee. For a visa. She's sold her jewellery to give it to him. She's sold her wedding ring. Anita Gatley's mother was widowed after 56 years of marriage, and somewhere in that grief, she became exactly who a highly organised scam industry was looking for. What started as a comment on a Facebook fan page spiralled into WhatsApp, then Telegram, then encrypted apps built for scammers to control the conversation — 24/7 messages, iTunes gift cards traded for untraceable cash, and a family watching someone they love disappear in real time. In this episode, Anita takes Hannah through what happened when her family tried to get help — and couldn't. Netsafe said it wasn't their jurisdiction. Police said the crime wasn't happening on New Zealand soil. Mental health services confirmed she was delusional, then discharged her anyway. An enduring power of attorney protected the money, but not the relationship, and not their mother. This is a story about grooming, isolation, and a system with no answers — and a warning for every family who thinks it could never happen to someone they love. Content note: this episode includes a discussion of suicidal ideation in the context of a family managing a loved one's care. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to Lifeline Aotearoa on 0800 543 354, or free call or text 1737 to speak with a trained counsellor. The Next Bit Host is: Hannah McQueen - Founder of Brightly Guest: Anita Gatley Join our community! We love to hear your feedback and questions. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenextbitpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584248556816 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thenextbitpodcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheNextBitPodcast Credits Director, Executive Producer & Editor: Arama Murray from Mention Direction Podcast Creator, Executive Producer & Host: Hannah McQueen Research & Production: Shelley Smith Additional Support: Billy McQueen

  8. Jul 27

    Health Insurance Reality Check: Waitlists, Family Help & Avoiding Nasty Surprises

    Health insurance can feel like one of those things you set up years ago and hope you never have to think about again. But once you hit your 60s, the reality can change fast: premiums rise, health risks shift, and the difference between public waitlists and private treatment can suddenly become very real. In this episode of The Next Bit, Hannah McQueen talks with Abby Woollaston, Risk Specialist at Redress Advice Ltd, about the big health insurance questions people need to ask as they age. Abby explains what private health insurance can actually do for you, from faster access to specialists, diagnostics and surgery, to more treatment options and support navigating the system. They also talk about public waitlists, hip and knee replacements, major diagnostics, non-Pharmac drugs, family members helping with costs, and the nasty surprises that can happen when people discover too late what their policy does, and does not, cover. They also unpack practical ways to reduce premiums before cancelling cover altogether, including increasing your excess, removing the bells and whistles, reviewing your policy, and getting proper advice before making a big decision. Health insurance after 60 is not just about money. It is about time, choice, independence, and avoiding the kind of surprises nobody wants when they are already under pressure. Live well and independent for longer. Get your whole-person assessment at www.agebrightly.co.nz The Next Bit Host is: Hannah McQueen - Founder of Brightly Guest: Abby Woollaston - Risk Specialist at Redress Advice Ltd Join our community! We love to hear your feedback and questions. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenextbitpodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584248556816 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thenextbitpodcast YouTube: https://youtube.com/@thenextbitpodcast This podcast was written and produced by the amazing team at PodLab www.podlab.nz

    Health Insurance Reality Check: Waitlists, Family Help & Avoiding Nasty Surprises
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About

Ageing isn’t overwhelming. It’s just the next bit. Real NZ stories, expert advice and practical tools to help you — and the people you love — stay confident, independent and informed as you age. Hosted by Hannah McQueen, with new episodes every week, The Next Bit is a podcast designed to help New Zealanders learn how to age well and support their whānau with clarity. Whether you’re planning your own next chapter, supporting ageing parents, or simply wanting to stay independent for as long as possible, you’re in the right place. https://www.thenextbitpod.com

Information

  • Creator
    Hannah McQueen
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    57
  • Rating
    Explicit